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MEMBERSHIP

 

Membership Criteria

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Membership to the University Dark Sky Astronomy Consortium (UDSAC) is open to Institutions of Higher Learning that are committed to provide a solid hands-on educational experience for their astronomy students. Membership is limited to 60 Institutional Members.

 

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Membership includes...

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The UDSAC Consortium Experience

 

       “It takes a Consortium to provide a Solid Astronomy Experience”

 

For the Students:

  • Experience and work under a pristine Dark Sky

  • Perform hands-on remote control and on-site operation of a observatory in a Dark Sky location

  • Net-work with students from other Member Institutions

  • Conduct (choose, plan and carryout) inter-institutional collaborative studies

  • Obtain one-on-one mentoring from faculty from their member institutions and external professional astronomers

  • Present their collaborative inter-institutional studies at the Annual UDSAC Conference

  • Publish their collaborative studies through the UDSAC website and external professional journals

  • Gain early recognition from the professional astronomy community

 

For the Faculty:

  • Have exclusive use of a remote controlled  observatory in a certified Dark Sky location for their students and themselves

  • Opportunity to provide a hands-on a observatory operations laboratory class

  • Gain infrastructure, i.e., Dark Sky observatory, to support grant applications

 

For the Administration

  • Provide a cost effective Dark Sky remote observatory for their students and faculty

  • Provide Dark Sky resources for institutional astronomy outreach programs

  • Provide a solid start for the next generation of student astronomers

 

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The UDSAC Observatory Experience:

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      “Membership provides the sense of Ownership without its Complexity” 

  

  •  Exclusive unlimited use of a solar powered equipment-ready remote control observatory located in a Dark Sky location (>21.5 M/sq arc-sec).

  • Solar power, Internet access, observatory control systems and security camera.

  • On-site basic technical help, as necessary, during and after the telescope installation.

  • 24/7 emergency technical services if a malfunction occurs during the operation of the telescope or the observatory’s systems.

  • On-site security personnel.

  • Maintenance of the observatories, roads and grounds.

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